"Off the beaten track" may seem a strange way to describe Alonissos, given that it gets its fair share of day-trippers in high season, island-hopping across from buzzing Skiathos and neighbouring Skopelos. Disembarking at Patitiri's busy little working harbour, they take a taxi (or a half-hour walk up the goat track if they're feeling energetic) to the delightful old island capital of Hora. Its fine old houses lay derelict for decades after an earthquake, but now they're being restored as holiday homes, art galleries and restaurants.
In the village square, our visitors enjoy delicious traditional dishes with bread baked in a wood-fired oven, and truly spectacular views across the archipelago of tiny offshore islands. This is Greece's only maritime national park, home to many rare species, including the endangered monk seal.
After lunch they may grab a quick swim in the clear waters off Patitiri's tiny beach, before hopping back on their departing ferry, and ticking another Greek island off their list - been there, done that! Except they haven't at all. To really appreciate the magic that's Alonissos, and be welcomed into this small community as an honorary islander, you need to stay and immerse yourself in that increasingly rare commodity - the real Greece. There are few roads worth the name (by all means hire a car, but ignore the map) so most people get around by boat. Rent your own, or clamber aboard a caique, keeping an eye out for seals, dolphins and maybe even a turtle chasing your shadow across the seabed below, as you glide through the crystalline waters towards that secluded pebble and shingle turquoise cove. Once there, you can chill out and rediscover that other precious commodity - the real you!
